Olympus M.Zuiko 300mm f/4 | Telephoto Macro Invertebrates
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- Опубліковано 11 лют 2025
- Close-up Photography without a Macro Lens | Using the Olympus M.Zuiko 300mm f/4 as a telephoto macro to photograph butterflies, dragonflies, and other life in the undergrowth.
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I'm originally from Norway, but I have lived in Scotland since I studied wildlife biology a long time ago. In Scotland, I've worked as an ecologist and occasionally still do some freelance ornithology work. I have a passion for the natural world and I believe it's our duty to keep as much wildlife and ecosystems alive for ourselves, for future generations and for nature's own sake.
Combining my passion for wildlife with an obsession for photography has been my ultimate pursuit for the last couple of years and I'm enjoying the journey more every day.
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I have recently sold all of my Canon gear and looking to acquire Olympus gear to continue my quest to photo creatures great and small. I am an old retired waterfowl/furbearer biologist and looking forward to the smaller/lighter gear to keep me out there with the critters. I really like your attitude towards not letting all the technical stuff and worrying about knowing all the names of the creatures cloud the enjoyment of taking photos. Thanking you!
Thank you Chuck, I don't think you'll regret it :)
Thanks!
Thank you Espen, I have a 300 and never considered for (Macro) close up. I will now. Your videos are always turning a new page for me. Thanks so much.
Great to hear! Thanks Steve :)
GREAT - so wonderful images, music and video!
Thank you Tenzin!
amazing pics. stay well. thank you for the video.
Lovely video. I really liked the overall atmosphere you created. I'm envious of the Pine Marten spot. All the Damselflies I saw were male Emerald Damselflies (Lestes sponsa), and the butterflies, Speckled Woods. Whilst all the books tell you to look for dragonflies and damselflies to photograph, I've never found many early morning further north, and I've been photographing dragonflies and recording them for over 35 years. I'm pretty certain that finding lots early morning is something you can only successfully do in the south.
One tip, which is a massive help for this type of close-photography is to use a stick or garden cane. You can use a monopod for this, but I never attach the camera to the top. I've been using this method for a long time, but it's not my idea, but that of Brian Valentine, also known as Lord V. What you do is to just plant your stick on the ground, upright, at the point you want to photograph the insect, and put your hand on the stick at the level you want to take the shot. Then you just rest the end of the lens on your hand holding the stick. This massively increases your stability and ability to frame the shot. You can instantly slide your hand up and down the stick to lower or increase the height. Plus you can tilt the stick backwards and forwards for better positioning. It is the single most useful tool in close-up photography I know of, and have no idea why it is not more widely used. It is much better than using a monopod in the conventional way, where it is too difficult to keep adjusting it. As I say you can use any stick you can find for this. A walking pole/stick, or anything. With places I visit regularly I just leave a bamboo garden cane in the undergrowth where I can find it when I visit.
35 years! well done 🙌 I got a lot to learn when it comes to invertebrates :)
I use the 40-150mm f2.8 with MC-14 as my go to butterfly and dragonfly lens setup, and 300mm f4 plus another MC14 (I have 2 of them) for shots of skittish subjects, and for longer range stuff like dragonflies over water or to avoid trampling wild plants to get closer for shots of butterflies.
Good video unless you get up at the crack of dawn or stay out late your subject are on the whole are on the move, I just did an entire session on the Marbled White butterfly with the 100-400 mm lens rather than the macro. Even at sunset the Marbled White can be disturbed . You have certainly demonstrated the quality of the 300 mm Olympus. When I started I would always use a macro but I am increasingly moving towards the longer lens. The Nikon 300mm Pf f4 has similar macro or postcard capabilities. Awesome video for pointing this out congrats👍😀
Woah the pine marten footage was wonderful! A friend over by Stirling has put out a wildlife cam and got some very brief clips of a pine marten on one of their squirrel feeders!
The bug photos are fun too! 😁
WOW pine marten footage was wonderful and great to see even if not got macro lens still have a go
the detail of the cobwebs is lovely. thats a great lens
Nice area to live . Great spot of the pine marten. Keep up the good work.
your videos are very very amazing i loooove them
Thank you 🙂
Hello Espen, nice to see you again!, this close up stuff has always been of great interest to me as well and the technical issues have been massive!. When I started with the cheaper point and shoot bridge cameras with their very small sensors I had no issues with dept of field at al, just not good detail resolution. The Fujifilm system I am using now has all the advantages of good resolution and most of the problems with the shutter speed, aperture, depth of field issues.
I purchased the fantastic 80mm macro lens for Fujifilm a couple of years ago and straight away ran into major problems with depth of field, as soon as you get up really close at wider apertures the depth of field shrinks to almost nothing!, if I shut down the aperture the shutter speed falls away and I can't keep the camera still!, given enough time, care and concentration I have managed to get some wonderful shots but for general walk-about day to day use the 100 to 400 telephoto zoom lens is much more useful!, even at about six feet the enlargement is UK, the depth of field useable at F11 and shutter speeds as low as 1/30th sec. hand held with image stab. on works well enough!.
While some of the most interesting birds and animals are out and about early most of the invertebrates have to warm up, so for me a full day shooting means starting with the bigger stuff and going on to the dragonflies and butterflies some what later. Cheers, Richard.
Hi Richard, yeah I'm not sure if I have patience for 'real' macro with the narrow depth of field. I like the approach, keep shooting all day 👌
I would have thought you had been doing this type of photography all along. Great pics Espen
. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it, Thanks :)
Such a relaxing video
Hey Espen
Here are some quick hints for you next time you want to try macro
1. Walk slowly - you already learnt that!
2. Look for dragonflies under the leaf surface of the ferns or on the stalks as this is where they roost.
3. Look for damselflies on the grass stems as this is where they roost ( I think you figured that out already)
4. Take photos from about 3 metres away as this will not scare them off and easier to find them in the viewfinder
5. f5.6 to f11 is a good range, find which gives you the sharpest images and use that
I hope this helps mate! Really liked the vlog, the pine marten was a real bonus. As always look forward to the next.
Great tips Euge! Thanks :)
Great spot you picked Espen , enjoyed the footage .. DOF is wafer thin indeed mate .. Keep up the good work and thank you ;)
Espen you inspire me.
great video
Excellent capture's sir. Love the frame in each shot
another fine video.
I have the 300mm and haven’t tried any close ups yet. Got to get on that now :)
You should. If I show you some photos I've taken with my 70-200mm, they look like they are from a macro lens.
Lovely video the Blue Dragonfly is a Damselfly :)
Thank you
Great video again. I did this today also .i’m pleast with the resultaat.👍👍👍
I photographed some blue baby dragon fly they were almost transparent could not get close enough to the mother dragonfly
i don't have the 300mm dual ibis
But do have the panisonic g9 with new panasonic 100-400mm with dual ibis
I sent my old lens in , but it could not be repaired
This new version has no lens creep and smooths is zoom they must have fixed those flaws.
Would love to try the 150-400mm
On my em1x
Nice! Me too 😅
Cracking video of the pine martin. I use my PL 100 - 400mm for dragonflies and butterflies which are too far away or too skittish for my Olympus 60mm macro lens. This morning, however, I replaced my 60mm macro with my Olympus 14 - 150mm f4 - f5.6 II + Meike 10mm and 16mm extension tubes. I like this new set up a lot. Though not as pin sharp as the 60mm macro, the 14 - 150mm II is still a good lens; and it enables me to stand off much further than does the 60mm. It is also better suited to my FL900R speedlite. I tried the extension tubes and speedlite with my PL 100 - 400mm, but felt the set up was too cumbersome. I look forward to the proposed Olympus 100mm Pro macro lens, which is touted for a winter release, but I will also take a look at the PL 50 - 200mm f2.8 - f4 as a macro lens sustitute. It will certainly be sharper than my 14 - 150mm.
I have the same setup following Andy Rouses video on photographing dragon flies. I rarely use the macro lens now.
Thanks Pete! Nice setup, I'll be collecting some more Olympus lenses soon I think :)
Yep, I have gone down that road! It's funny the looks I get pointing a big ol lens at a flower ... but who cares! Works very well!
Exactly!
Those photos! Nice curve ball change... beautiful film
Thanks Ian!
Great Vid, loved the Pine Martin. Get yourself some extension tubes for next time. 👍
If you have a 5-in-1 reflector, you should be able to use the diffuser to do macro photography all day long. I guess that might be a bit challenging with a lens that long though. You might need an assistant or a stand to hold it until you can afford a proper macro lens or a 40-150mm f/2.8.
Good tip 👍
It's great when you get a good pic of an insect. I was walking along a country path in England with the 17mm f1.8 lens on and a hover fly obligingly landed on a flower overhang the path right in front of me; as if to say take my picture. Well, it would have been rude not to! Even though I had to savagely crop to get the image, the sharpness of the lens allowed me to do this and get a respectable result. Great video though, enjoyed watching it.
👍
Would love to see more
Great shots in this video! I have invested in Olympus gear in November 2019 (having been a long time Nikon user). I also have the OM-D E-M1 II plus the 12-40mm F2.8 Pro and the 40-150mm F2.8 Pro, plus the 1.4 extender. I love this gear! I am not a wildlife photographer, I mainly shoot concerts and events (and some landscapes lately, to keep busy, now concerts and events are not happening), but I still do enjoy your videos.
Thanks Theo, I just got the 12-40mm myself. Great deal on ebay, I think the 40-150mm next :)
@@EspenHelland You won't be disappointed!
Hi Espen personally I enjoy watching this type of photography and would be more than happy for you to pursue it further. The pine Martin was an unexpected visitor which you got a good piece of footage, I believe they are also being introduced to a couple of places in the west country in England. Until next time take care and stay safe my friend.
great video...
Love my walk around nature rig - a Nikon 300 PF +1.4 TC on a D850. Since taking up photography several years ago, I’ve become much more aware of all the wondrous things that can be found in nature, particularly when one slows down and learns to “see”. Bugs, spiders, dragonflies and damselflies all make worthy subjects particularly when bird activity diminishes during the summer. Hope you continue your close up endeavors with the small world - always enjoy your videos. Btw, that’s a spreadwing damselfly rather than a dragonfly😉
Thanks for correction, I'm rubbish with invertebrates 😅
Have you tried focus bracketing with the olympus? The great image stabilisation means you can do it successfully hand held. Andy Rouse used it in a video on photographing damselflies.
Not yet, but will definitely try it out :)
I know you enjoy it going up one one step great
Good video ! What would you say, is the new 100-400 better than 300 f4 for like macro? The bokeh is of course important also. Can´t make up my mind... the 100-400 or 300 f4 with 1,4x?
If you want to take a lot of macro it’s probably better to get a macro lens. For wildlife I would go for the prime and 1.4x.
Thanks! Already got the 60mm macro, but working distance is to short for the dragonfly. I Will go for the 300+1,4 then.
I like this lens too for closeups. It hat the perfect DOF.
1/11/22 Thank you for this information
Outstanding sound track
Cheers Kevin!
That was enjoyable Espen. Great footage of the pine marten! Using your long lens for macro is good. Can I suggest trying it with a macro tube? I do this with my canon 100-400 set up and it cuts the minimum focus distance in half (or less depending on the extension). They’re dirt cheap and work great. Best, J
Thanks for the tip!
Loved the pine marten footage more than anything! Don't think we get them down here on the south coast so never likely to see one myself. I'm no great photographer but I do use my 100-400mm lens for insects. It's all pot luck whether anything I take a photo of comes out how I hope but I have had some nice surprises! ;)
I see in the video the problem of quick shifting sometimes related to the IBIS correction that is not smooth enough , is it my eyes or the observation is true?
Nice shots. can you tell your camera settings? i have olympus omd top and 40-150mm pro lens with teleconverter..
Hi Espen, beautiful photos, and the video has a nice atmosphere! Would maybe the dot sight accessory be of good use for tele-macro? I think if I ever buy a prime telephoto lens, I also have to have the dot sight with it. Will be so much easier to find the subject (for example a bird in flight). But I'm not sure if it would also work well for tele-macro.
Not sure, never tried it, might look into it 👍
I use my Nikon 300mm f4 with a 1.4 te converter on my Nikon D300s to go longer and get closer.
I usual use it on a Manfrotto Element monopod and shoot video and stills of small creatures.
The whole outfit cost me £600 used, apart from the monopod which was new and gifted to me by my children for Christmas
I use the 300mm and have a 1.4 and 2x convertor. Would you ever consider using the 2x with this lens which will give you F8 or do you prefer getting F5.6 with a 1.4x, or if at all possible would you rather shoot without any convertor. Wonderful videos Espen. Really enjoying getting through your excellent collection.
Thank you Nigel! Absolutely, I’ve seen some really good results with the 2x converter so will probably pick one up at some point.
Nice sir
Espen, were you conducting point counts for song birds ?
If I am not mistaken, I saw a bio-acoustic recorder near your pack!
Nah, might have been my slider?
Different but great. You could do videos like these more often.
I sold all of my Sony equipment earlier this year. Too big too heavy. With Olympus I found the perfect system for me.
Good choice!
Hi Espen there are a number of Scottish Endemic Butterflies that I urge you to look for, By the way nice photos and footage of the (Lestes Sp) Emerald
Thank you Malcolm :)
If you want to find a lot of insects, try turning over some rocks or rotten logs, sweeping an insect net through grass, tree leaves, or other vegetation, or putting out a white sheet at night and illuminating it with a UV light. You can also find a lot of aquatic insects by dragging a dip net along the bottom of a pond or stream or by examining rocks and detritus.
Great tips Keith, thanks!
@@EspenHelland You're welcome!
Panny boy here to annoy the Oly guys by saying your phase detect hunts more than our contrast Dfd does Hehe 😉😘
Nice atmosphere though :)
👍👍👍👍
Both diopters AND teleconverters could bring this lens much deeper into the macro world! Have you tried them?
Another great video Espen, so many times when you're out photographing wildlife, a telephoto is the only lens you'd have, so I guess most of us definitely have tried to photograph insects with it.
The place you were at was beautiful, could you try photographing them(landscapes) and adding them in between, I would so love to see the place. Cheers :)
Might give that a try :) thanks Arun!
Fantastic! Now I’ve got to get out there and try to match you! :)
It IS a "macro " lens as it reproduces at greater than 1:10 life size which is the optical definition of "macro" photography. Why? Because at more than 1:10, you must start adding exposure compensation for "bellows extension" or lens tube extension. An auto exposure camera takes care of it for you, but it's present none the less. An f4 lens becomes effectively an f4.5 lens at 1:10 reproduction ratio, an f5.6 lens at 1:4, an f6.3 at 1:2 and an f9.3 at 1:1. A "true macro lens" like a f3.5 Micro-Nikkor or f3.5 Macro Rokkar and others, from their optical design "gain" you about a half stop effectively, but for copy work you go by tests NOT a light meter. At one time I owned a 200mm f4 Minolta Rokkar true macro MC lens that focused to 1:1. It was very heavy and hard to hold on the subject without a tripod in the field, so I sold it. It was excellent (even outstanding) optically, but it didn't work for me.
🤯 you just blew my mind! too much for me to take in on a Sunday 😉
Pine Martin need to be tracked down.....That would have been the nuts photo of it standing u
300mm or 100-400mm 🤷🏻♂️
I love my 300 😃